Recently, interest has grown in sharing data between electronic devices such as cell phones, smart phones, televisions, and the like. Because of this trend, solutions have been developed to permit the transfer of data between such devices. Such solutions often require two or more devices to be connected via a physical connection (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) connection, an ethernet connection, and the like) or through a wireless connection (e.g., a wireless network complying with the 802.11 standard). In addition, solutions exist that permit data transfers from one device to another via a service, such as electronic mail, social networks, and the like.
While physical connections such as USB and ethernet can allow data to be transferred between devices, such connections may not be available on many devices. For example, many cellular phones do not include an interface for such connections. Moreover, conducting a data transfer with a physical connection requires an appropriate connection cable, which a device user may not have and which may be inconvenient to carry from place to place.
The transfer of data wirelessly between two devices is often more convenient than a physical connection. However, establishing a wireless network connection between devices can be complicated and/or unintuitive, leading to a frustrating or otherwise undesirable user experience. In addition, the components of such a wireless connection may be unsecure, and therefore subject to compromise by unauthorized third parties.
Although service-based mechanisms can be used to transfer data, such mechanisms are often slow and/or undesirable. Moreover, such services often require all parties to a data transfer to have access to the same service. If one of the parties lacks such access, it may not be possible to perform a transfer with that party.
Although the following detailed description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.